Quote:
Originally Posted by carolyn137
First let me speak to your post above. If you look at Tania's page for Black Krim she makes it very clear that Black Krim was first found IN the Ukraine, not on an Isle of Krim. The fact that historically there was no separation IMO is not relevant in terms of past changes of geography as it relates to tomato varieties, which originated in South America.
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I think really there are two main issues at hand. One would obviously be the origin of Black Krim. I think you are absolutely correct about it originating in Eastern Europe, probably Ukraine, or at least somewhere in the greater Eastern European/Russian agricultural belt.
The second part though is less clear. We all know local conditions can change the quality of the tomatoes produced by any cultivar. Tops on that list of local conditions is the soil. So I think it is relevant to talk about the geography of Ukraine, especially as it relates to soil types and climate. Unfortunately though there are two problems with this approach. I don't think anyone knows 100% for sure exactly the soil where the first black mutation resulting in Black Krim happened. We also don't know for sure if that original location is really the ideal local conditions to grow the best tasting Black Krim tomatoes. It certainly is plausible, since there must have been some reason the Black Krim cultivar became popular and an heirloom. However, the mutation could have even happened elsewhere and only becoming popular once it reached those ideal soils. We do know with certainty soils can change the flavor of tomatoes grown in them. The Greater Ukraine area does have some particularly good soils, but also some not as fertile. So while less likely, it is possible Black Krim does slightly better in one of those less fertile soils too?
Lastly, assuming both those issues above are in fact true, garden381 wanted to know how to recreate as closely as possible the ideal soil for Black Krim in Florida. That's really difficult. It used to be thought impossible to create a soil class by agricultural practises alone, short of simply importing in soil from the outside. Now it is known you can change your soil type in certain conditions. But not knowing for certain which soil type is ideal for Black Krim to begin with, it would be impossible to say if garden381 could do it in that part of Florida.
I could give advise on how to create a mollic epipedon, assuming the soil there is not too sandy and has enough loess/silt/clay AND experiences at least some ground freeze events. (It's actually created under a grassland ecosystem, but can end up being forested later) But that doesn't happen in most of Florida. So I would think even if we could find out for sure, it might be impossible for garden381 to do it anyway, at least in our lifetimes.
So the best advise is simply build the soil the best you can with mulches and compost, things like that. Or as some people have done, grow in containers. Then enjoy what you produce. It may not be ideal, but surely it must be better than a store-bought tomato.
